The SOCAN Songwriting Prize has officially crowned a winner for 2020, and this year's award goes to William Prince for his song "The Spark."
"The Spark" comes from Prince's sophomore album Reliever, which Exclaim! called nuanced, precise and inviting upon its release earlier this year. Along with title honours, the Winnipeg-based artist will receive the $5,000 first prize, a Yamaha Keyboard, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.
"Songwriting has been a part of my life for so long. 'The Spark' goes back to my earliest days of learning how to communicate love and hope through music," Prince said in a statement. "Winning the SOCAN prize is terrific affirmation of the beginning of my life's work, and motivation to keep working on the next chapters. Thank you to SOCAN and everyone that took time to vote."
"The Spark" was shortlisted for the prize alongside other nominated songs by Haviah Mighty, Corridor, Clairmont The Second, iskwé, FouKi and LOONY. In a first for SOCAN, each of the remaining nine nominated songwriters were awarded $500.
"'The Spark' is an incredible song, and William Prince is an incredible and deserving talent," added Jennifer Brown, interim CEO of SOCAN. "The SOCAN Songwriting Prize is about identifying and celebrating Canada's next and best music creators, and the 2020 nominees are testament to that fact. This year, we're thrilled to be able to monetarily award the excellence of all 10 nominees."
As previously reported, the SOCAN Songwriting Prize was chosen by fan votes from across Canada.
The winner of the Prix de la chanson SOCAN, meanwhile, went to Evelyne Brochu's "Maintenant ou jamais," written by Félix Dyotte.
"The Spark" comes from Prince's sophomore album Reliever, which Exclaim! called nuanced, precise and inviting upon its release earlier this year. Along with title honours, the Winnipeg-based artist will receive the $5,000 first prize, a Yamaha Keyboard, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.
"Songwriting has been a part of my life for so long. 'The Spark' goes back to my earliest days of learning how to communicate love and hope through music," Prince said in a statement. "Winning the SOCAN prize is terrific affirmation of the beginning of my life's work, and motivation to keep working on the next chapters. Thank you to SOCAN and everyone that took time to vote."
"The Spark" was shortlisted for the prize alongside other nominated songs by Haviah Mighty, Corridor, Clairmont The Second, iskwé, FouKi and LOONY. In a first for SOCAN, each of the remaining nine nominated songwriters were awarded $500.
"'The Spark' is an incredible song, and William Prince is an incredible and deserving talent," added Jennifer Brown, interim CEO of SOCAN. "The SOCAN Songwriting Prize is about identifying and celebrating Canada's next and best music creators, and the 2020 nominees are testament to that fact. This year, we're thrilled to be able to monetarily award the excellence of all 10 nominees."
As previously reported, the SOCAN Songwriting Prize was chosen by fan votes from across Canada.
The winner of the Prix de la chanson SOCAN, meanwhile, went to Evelyne Brochu's "Maintenant ou jamais," written by Félix Dyotte.